Akane and Her Wooden Prince, Ranma!
by XoXStoryprincessXoX
Summary: Akane Tendo, who despises Christmas due to her mother's untimely death, receives a pigtailed nutcracker for Christmas. When the clock strikes 12, that's when her adventure begins with her wooden prince named Ranma who is sworn to protect her as long as she helps him to turn back to a human being. My take on the Nutcracker story, but with Ranma characters! Please R&R! : )
1. Prologue

'_Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house_

_Not a creature was stirring… except for maybe a martial artist._

"Hiiii-yah!"

Oh, on this silent and holy night, angry screams can be heard from the Tendo dojo.

16-year-old Akane Tendo has just split four cinder blocks in half with her knife-hand strike technique. She stood straight up to admire the perfectly sliced cinder blocks before her. She wiped off the sweat dripping from her forehead then continued on with her training. She was practicing her punches and kicks when all of a sudden, she heard a sweet, soft voice calling for her outside of the Tendo dojo.

"Akane!" Kasumi, her 19-year-old sister, called out as she slid open the dojo door. "Aren't you going to join us for our Christmas feast?"

Normally Akane would answer her respected older sister, but she didn't feel like it. She pretended she didn't hear her question and carried on with her practice.

Kasumi patiently waited for an answer then asked once more, hoping Akane would answer this time.

Akane put her training on pause then sighed. She just could not ignore her any longer. She respects her way too much to just simply ignore her.

"I… uh… I do not think I will." Akane hesitantly answered as she wiped down more of her sweat with the back of her hand. "I kind of want to stay here and practice my martial arts."

"Akane, it is rather cold in here. Don't you want to come inside where it's warm?"

"The sweat is keeping me pretty warm, thank you."

"Aren't you hungry at all? Dinner's almost ready."

"Look, Kasumi, as much as I love being around you guys, I rather not celebrate Christmas at all. It's just not for me."

Kasumi knew all too well the reason why she would rather not celebrate Christmas. As much as she hates bothering people to do what she wishes, she still persuaded.

"Akane… it would mean so much to me if you'd just eat with us. We miss seeing you around during Christmas." Kasumi said ever so gently. "Just this once would you try… for me?"

Akane hesitated for a moment then let out a defeated sigh.

"Alright… I'll join you guys as soon as I'm done here and with my shower."

The biggest smile spread across Kasumi's face. With that being said, she nodded and left Akane to do what she needed to do and headed back to the kitchen where she was cooking her festive meal.

Akane took a deep breath in and then out.

'_This year will be different… right, mom?'_

* * *

Akane had just finished taking her warm, steamy shower and headed straight for her room where she put on a cute red dress. As soon as she was finished dressing up, she went straight to the family room, where she and her family usually eat their dinner. As she was on her way there, she thought about her mom. She always thinks about her mom, but today especially.

It had been ten years since her mother passed away and it was on Christmas of all days. Ever since that fateful day, Akane never saw Christmas the same way again. It has been the same every single Christmas. Akane would be either stuck in her room or in the dojo like she was not too long ago.

'_It's just so unfair how life just took her away… during the supposed most wonderful time of the year.'_

Akane felt anger boil into her blood. Why did fate have to pick her mother out of everyone else in the world? _Why her?_ What did life ever do to her that made it take away her beloved mother?

Akane stopped in her tracks realizing that she is getting herself worked up. She took a moment to take a huge breath.

'_This is for Kasumi…'_ Akane thought as she eased up a bit.

She took another moment to be sure that she was fully calm, then walked right into the family room. Not even a second later of stepping in, her father joyfully screamed out, "Akane!"

He was acting as if he hadn't seen her for so many years. She does not blame him for being this excited though, it has been a decade since she last celebrated with her family. Akane greeted her father back with the best fake laugh and smile she could come up with.

"Oh, look who has decided to _finally_ join us after who knows how long." Akane's 17-year-old sister Nabiki said in a sarcastic tone.

Akane decided to ignore Nabiki's sarcastic comment and sat down next to her father.

"I am so glad you're able to join us, Akane. We missed having you here with us." Akane's father said, almost in tears.

"Glad to be here too, dad," Akane said, trying to keep up her happy facade.

"Oh, I almost forgot Akane. You have to meet an old friend of mine," Akane's father said standing up from his spot on the ground. He walked out of the room for a moment and walked back in with someone else by his side. "Akane, I want you to meet Mr. Saotome. Saotome, my daughter."

"I-It's nice to meet you, Mr. Saotome." Akane said as she bowed her head as an introduction.

"It's finally nice to meet you, Akane," Mr. Saotome said as he bowed his head in return. "Tendo has talked my ear off about you the second you were born."

He then gave a light-hearted laugh that made Akane's dad laugh along with him.

"So where is that son of yours, Saotome? I'm sure Akane would love to meet him." Akane's father said as he sat back down on his spot.

"That boy… he was not able to make it this year. He's a little tangled up with other things at the moment." Mr. Saotome said as he took a seat next to his lifelong friend.

"Aww, well that's too bad. Looks like Akane will have to meet him next time, eh Saotome?"

"You know it, Tendo."

The two share another long laugh together.

Not too long after, Kasumi came in with the main course meal. "Dinner's ready!"

With that being said, they all settled down to eat.

* * *

Not soon after finishing their Christmas dinner, they played family games and watched a classic Christmas movie called "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Kasumi was sitting next to the radio listening to Christmas tunes while Nabiki was too busy texting who knows who. Akane's father and Mr. Saotome were crazy drunk off of Sake singing along to the song "Last Christmas" on the radio.

You'd think Akane was having a grand old time when in reality, she actually was not. She was not sad or grieving… she was… angry… disgusted. Just flat out furious. How dare her family to celebrate a holiday on the same day as her mother's death? Do they even care that it has been a decade? Are they even thinking about her? How dare they put on "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" when they knew how much the movie meant to her mother? Do they even realize how miserable she feels right now? A lot of these thoughts flew around in her head, but of course, she still kept the happy facade that no one really cared to notice. Akane could swear she felt the steam coming out of her head. She wanted to explode. She wanted Christmas to vanish for good.

Apparently, she was not really good at hiding her emotions because Kasumi noticed right away.

"Akane? Are you okay?"

That question alone was enough to set Akane off. Akane slammed her hands on the table, which startled everyone. Nabiki looked up from her phone screen and Akane's father and his friend startled emotions snapped the drunk out of them. The tears began to roll down her cheeks uncontrollably. They were hot tears of frustration. She could not contain herself any longer. She tried so hard, but they just would not stop.

"Akane…?"

"How… how could you guys…" Akane said under her breath, so quiet enough that no one could hear.

"Speak up, Akane, no one can hear through your pouting." Nabiki said as she rolled her eyes.

Akane looked up with fire in her eyes and repeated what she said but louder.

"How could you guys be happy on this day?! Don't you realize how stupid you all look?!"

"Akane…" Kasumi said gently.

"I'm sorry, Kasumi," Akane apologized, wiping tears off her face. "I tried, I really did. But I cannot be happy today. It just… it just seems like mom meant the most to me out of everyone else here."

"Akane, that is not true!" Kasumi said, raising her voice more than usual. "Mom meant something to everyone in this room. I'm sorry, but I think you're just feeling sorry for only yourself!"

Akane was taken aback. She has never heard Kasumi raise her voice like that ever before, not even talkback someone like that. She was so surprised that she did not have the courage to argue back. Kasumi realized what she just said to her younger sister. She covered up her mouth with her hand and ran out of the room.

"K-Kasumi, wait!" Akane yelled after her.

A flood of guilt washed all over her body. She felt like she ruined everyone's Christmas, especially Kasumi's when she was the one who brought her out here in the first place.

Nabiki let out a slight chuckle, not a very nice one either. "Leave it to Akane to ruin any family gathering we have."

"I… I didn't mean to… I just didn't want mom to—"

"Mom is dead, Akane, dead," Nabiki interrupted in anger. "Get that in your thick head of yours before you ruin Christmas even more."

Embarrassed by her own behavior in front of their new guest, she ran out and into her room. She felt so many emotions, but most of all, she felt ashamed. She has failed Kasumi, she's made Nabiki mad, and she bets her father is disappointed in her too. Akane slammed the door behind her and jumped onto her bed. She got into a fetal position and cried away all her tears onto her now soaked pillow.

'_Mom… I wish you were here.'_

* * *

Akane never noticed, but she has slightly fallen asleep on her soaked pillow. She never knew how much tears can really drain your energy. She looked at her alarm clock beside her bed. It was 11:00 P.M. No one came to check on her since she ran out.

'_They all must be pretty mad,' _Akane thought to herself. '_I don't blame them… I did ruin their Christmas after all.'_

Akane was just about to lay her head back on the pillow when she heard a knock on her door.

_Knock, knock, knock._

She sprang right out of her bed, hoping it would be Kasumi at the door. She opened it up only to find Mr. Saotome.

"Oh… hey Mr. Saotome."

"Hello, Akane."

"I… uh… I'm sorry about tonight. My behavior was unacceptable and I'm sorry if I ruined your Christmas."

"Oh, Akane, you do not have to worry about that. I knew how much your mother meant to you."

Akane avoided eye contact with him, still embarrassed by her behavior. She thought he was too kind to forgive her and her actions.

"Before I go, I just wanted to give you a gift."

"A… gift?"

Mr. Saotome nodded and dug through his bag. He took out a slightly messy gift-wrapped box and handed it to Akane.

"O-Oh… thank you, Mr. Saotome," Akane said, watching the gift closely. "A-Are you sure you want to give me a gift after my bad behavior?"

"Now don't you start with that, Akane," Mr. Tendo said followed with a heart-felt laugh. "It's Christmas now, come on. You don't have to punish yourself forever… people have their moments."

"Alright… thank you, Mr. Saotome."

"You're very welcome… take good care of it now. Have a Merry Christmas!"

Mr. Saotome walked away before Akane could ask what he meant by "take good care of it". What was in the box?

Akane nervously unwrapped the present and opened the box only to find a nutcracker. Akane smiled down at her gift. She's always wanted one ever since she was little. She would always add it to her wish list, but often it would get ignored by her family members because she was simply too "tomboyish" to own one. Underneath her tomboy features, she's always dreamed of being a princess with a prince by her side. She took a look at her little prince to notice that he has a cute pigtail and instead of a uniform, he had on Chinese style clothing. She adored him. He was different from the other nutcrackers, just like she was different from all the other girls. She held the nutcracker close to her chest. She placed the charming antique on her bedside table and gave him a peck on his wooden cheek.

"Goodnight… my prince."

With that said, she drifted off to a peaceful sleep… or so she thought.

**To be continued...**

* * *

(A/N: Alright guys, I know it ain't Christmas no more, but I had this story in my head for the LONGEST time and I had to get it right out of my system. I absolutely adore the Nutcracker story, but I wanted to change it up a bit to tie in with Ranma ½. I rewatched it lately and now I'm back in the fandom hell xD I really hope you guys like it!)


	2. The Mysterious Figure

"_Goodnight… my sweet prince."_

_With that said, she drifted off to a peaceful sleep… or so she thought._

The silent and holy night was off to a wonderful end, until it was disrupted by a shadowy figure who appeared outside of Akane's window. Red piercing eyes stared intently at the young woman sleeping soundly, then at the wooden antique in her arms. A smirk spread across the shadowy figure's face.

"So there you be… nutcracker."

* * *

_**Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.**_

Akane awoke to the sudden sound of loud chimes. She sat up slowly and began to rub her eyes. The chimes went on repeat until the twelfth strike. She did not process it at first, but she realized something very odd.

'_Since when did we get a grandfather clock?'_

Suspicion and curiosity peaked her. She thought about all the possibilities and came to the conclusion that it was possibly a Christmas gift to one of her family members from Mr. Saotome. Although her suspicion was pushed to the side, curiosity still lingered. She decided to investigate.

She gently grabbed her wooden prince and placed it on the nightstand beside her. She got out of bed and slipped on some slippers then put on a warm robe.

She decided to start with the one place a grandfather clock would most likely be: the family room. She walked inside the room and looked around. Nothing was different and there was no sign of the grandfather clock. She then looked in another room, then another. Still no sign of the old clock.

Puzzled and ultimately tired, Akane decided to retire for the night and head straight back to bed.

'_It was probably a dream,' _Akane thought to herself as she walked to her room. '_But… it sounded so real.'_

Akane reached her room and turned the doorknob, only to feel a chilling breeze in her room. Her window was wide open. Snow fell into her room and on her nightstand.

'_Did I not close it this whole time? Why didn't it feel this cold when I left the room?'_

She was about to close her window when she found her wooden prince missing from her nightstand. Desperately, she looked in her bed and under it. Then on the floor near her nightstand. Her beloved antique was nowhere in sight. As she kept searching, she couldn't help but feel an uncomfortable chill run down her spine. She felt eyes watching her. She looked up to find a shadowy figure with red glowing eyes staring at her from the corner of the room.

"W-Who are you?!" Akane called out to the shadow figure. "Why are you here?!"

The shadow figure stood still and silent. No response.

Akane felt terrified and unable to move a muscle. She's been practicing her martial arts for this exact scenario all her life. But when it finally happens, she chickens out. So many thoughts were running through her head. She had no idea what to do. She stood as still as the shadow figure before her. It became an intense staring contest.

She gazed her eyes away from theirs and realized that they had the beloved nutcracker. Fear turned into utter rage. Out of all the valuable items she had in her room, they decided to take her precious wooden prince.

"Put him down, now!" Akane demanded, now with full confidence.

"I no put him down," The shadow figure finally answered. "You sleep now, ok?"

"No, I will not sleep until you give him back!"

"No can do, stupid girl."

The thief then made a dash for the wide open window and jumped right out.

"Stupid girl?! Who are you calling a stupid girl?! Come back here!"

Akane was about to make a jump out of the window when she realized how far down it was to the ground. She decided to take the stairs and ran out to her backyard where she found the thief, still holding her wooden prince, almost as if they were taunting her.

"Alright… you asked for it."

Out of breath, Akane readied her stance and dashed toward the thief, ready to throw in her powerful punch. The mysterious thief dodged her punch like it was nothing but a tiny obstacle. They used Akane's fist to pull themselves over Akane's head without any problems. As soon as they landed on the ground, they made another dash for it.

Akane became frustrated, but nonetheless, still chased after them. Determination kept her from giving up. She continued to follow the thief.

"Why you no give up?" The thief said as they kept on running. "You weak."

"I'm not giving up until you give him back to me!"

The thief ran into the run-down shed Akane's family kept in their backyard for years. It was filled up with collected dust and old family things. The thief stopped at their tracks. They were trapped. Not soon after, Akane runs in to find the thief standing there and with nowhere to run.

"I got you now!" Akane said through her pants.

The shadow thief turned their gaze toward Akane and released a sinister grin. They made a quick dash towards Akane and blew a powdery-like dust against Akane's face, which caught her by surprise.

"What was that for, you jerk!" Akane said as she threw in another punch at the thief. "I'm going to kick your a.. ah… ah… achoo!"

Akane accidentally sneezed the remaining mysterious dust onto the shadowy figure, which also caught them by surprise.

"Hiya," The figure exclaimed as they jumped back. "Look what you did, stupid girl!"

"Me?! You're the one that shouldn't be throwing that stuff around, idiot!"

"You no understand! Now we gonna… we gonna..."

The mysterious figure then fainted onto the old wooden floor of her family's shed, dropping the nutcracker with them. As the nutcracker hit the ground, its arm shattered. Akane felt her world stop spinning right then and there. Her beloved nutcracker was hurt and all because she was too late to rescue him. Akane dived in to quickly pick up her nutcracker until she felt everything around her spin really fast.

'_W-What… what is happening… to me?'_

The world kept spinning around her until her vision captured nothing but complete darkness.

* * *

'_Oh, God… my head is killing me.'_

Akane opened her eyes and sat up slowly. The back of her head was in absolute pain.

'_I must've fallen off the bed or something.'_

Wincing in pain, Akane managed to stand right up. She searched her surroundings. She was expecting to find the familiar furniture in her room, but instead found nothing. Everything was just dark. It smelt like old wood and dust. The only source of light she had was the moonlight shining through the hole on the roof above her.

'_That's right!' _Akane thought, finally remembering what happened. '_I was trying to stop that burglar from taking my wooden prince and-"_

Akane then gasped at the realization that her nutcracker's arm is still broken. She looked on the floor to see if she can find her precious wooden prince lying on the floor. He was nowhere in sight. Akane desperately continued her search.

'_Oh my God, I hope that stupid thief didn't take my-'_

She lost her train of thought when she all of a sudden heard groans of pain. She followed the groans until she found someone curdled on the ground, holding their arm.

'_What is this person doing in my shed?'_

Akane slowly walked up to the person on the ground and crouched down beside them.

"H-Hey, are you alright?" Akane asked, as she gently placed her hand on the person's shoulder. "Do you want me to call the ambulance or?"

With her hand, Akane slightly turned over the person and looked at them. Akane felt a gasp release from her lips.

"M-My… wooden prince?"

* * *

A/N: Alright my beautiful readers, that is that for that chapter! I hope you guys like it. : ) Please continue on reviewing, I love reading them!


	3. Companions

Lying before Akane was a young man, cradled in a fetal position, holding his arm. Akane took a small step towards him and crouched next to him. She gently placed her hand on the man's shoulder and slightly turned his body over to take a glimpse of his face. A gasp escaped her lips.

"M-My… wooden prince?"

"Your… what?" The young man answered as he continued groaning in pain and holding onto his arm.

"I can't believe this," Akane said, "you're… you're lying on my wooden prince!"

Akane then attempted to push the young man away from the spot with full force, determined to find her beloved nutcracker.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?" The young man said in an agitated voice. "Are you trying to hurt me even more!?"

"No, but I have to find my wooden prince!" Akane answered, still trying to push him the hardest that she can. "Just move so I can get to him!"

"I'm not lying on anything, stupid!"

"Stupid?! Who are you calling stupid?!"

"Obviously you because you honestly believe anyone would have an aggressive girl as their princess? So uncute!"

"What did you say?! I'm gonna―"

"H-Hey watch out!" The mysterious young man exclaimed as he sprung up in the air and quickly put his unbroken arm around Akane.

As soon as Akane felt the young man's firm arm around her waist, she began to blush uncontrollably. Never has she felt a man's arm around her, let alone around her waist. This was something freshly new to her. However, this was a stranger she literally just met a second ago, so why is she blushing?

'_W-Why… do I like this?'_ Akane thought to herself, almost in disgust.

Before she could continue her train of thought, a pair of knives headed towards their way. The young man stepped in front of the flying knives. She looked up at the man who decided to protect her on impulse and saw the most painful expression on his face as two knives sliced his back. The man groaned in pain, but continued to have his arm around her waist.

"So… there you be, nutcracker."

Akane recognized that voice. She heard it in her bedroom and in that abandoned shed in her backyard.

"H-Hey you… just give it up already." The young man said as he winced in pain.

"I will no give up until you turn yourself in, nutcracker."

"Nutcracker? What are you talking about?! The nutcracker is gone!" Akane said as she stepped in front of the young man in hopes the mysterious figure would stop hurting him.

"Stupid girl, that man there is nutcracker." The shadow figure answered.

Akane looked up at the young man's face and studied him. A small gasp escaped her lips as she realized that the man had similar features as her nutcracker. He had the same chinese-style clothing on and the same adorable pigtail. Not to mention the eye colors were the same as well. She could never forget those blue bejeweled eyes of her beloved nutcracker. It's what she treasured the most about him.

"Wait so you're… uh… my wooden prince?"

"I'm your what?" The young man asked in confusion. "Look, is this really the time to ask these stupid questions? We're about to get killed!"

Akane could not help but agree with the stubborn man, there is no time to ask questions like this. She stopped asking anymore questions for the time being. The man gently pushed Akane to the side to face the mysterious figure with bright red eyes staring down at them from the shadows. As the young man's back was facing Akane, she noticed the big cuts on his back. A wave a guilt flooded over her. First, he has a broken arm and now he has huge stashes on his back; she couldn't possibly just sit around and do nothing. Akane walked back in front of his body, as an act of a shield.

"Look, I got this," Akane said as she readied her fighting stance. "You stand back."

"S-Stupid, what are you doing?!" The young man said in utter confusion. "I'm not gonna let some stupid girl protect me!"

Akane felt a wave of anger hit her. Instead of being grateful, he was being a total blockhead, missing the fact that she was concerned for his wounds.

"Listen here, jerk," Akane said as she faced him. "You're injured pretty much everywhere and I'm trying to give you a break!"

"Look girl, I was raised to protect a girl, even the annoying ones, no matter how hurt I am."

"Annoying?! Listen here, jerk, you literally just met me and you have the balls to―"

Their bickering came to an abrupt halt as soon as they heard a warrior-like scream come towards them. Before they could take action, it was already too late. A net came flying towards them. With his free arm, the young man roughly pushed Akane away far enough so she doesn't get caught in the net as well. The net wraps around the young man.

The mysterious figure finally came out of the shadows and into the light. Standing before them was a slim young woman. She had purple long hair with two long, thick stands on each side of her face. She had on traditional chinese style of clothing, similar to the young man's. Not to mention, she was very cute. Akane was in awe of her beauty.

The woman slowly released a grin on her face. "I got you now nutcracker."

"Let him go! Can't you see he's injured?!" Akane yelled as she got up from her spot.

The purple-haired warrior let out a slight chuckle. "I no care if he injured or no."

With that said, she walked straight up to the captured man in the net and sat on him.

"Hiyah… now you all mine." The warrior said as she started to slowly tie up the net so the young man has no means of escape. As she was tying it up, she looked down and gazed at the man she was sitting on top of. She stopped her task and just kept staring. A blush started spreading all over her cheeks.

"Shampoo… like." The warrior said softly then leaned down and placed her lips on the man's lips through one of the holes of the net.

Akane felt a gasp escaped her lips as she watched the purple-haired beauty kiss the young man. The young man's eyes widen as he felt a pair of soft lips touch his.

"H-Hey get off me!" The pig-tailed man yelled out as he sat up, his body still in the net.

With the young woman still on his lap, she hugged his neck and softly said, "Shampoo love nutcracker."

The pig-tailed young man looked at her in confusion. "Shampoo… loves nutcracker?"

"Shampoo love…" The young warrior said as she pointed to herself then pointed to the young man. "Nutcracker."

"Wait… so your name is Shampoo? That's… interesting."

Shampoo nodded with a smile and giggled as she nuzzled his neck softly.

"W-Wait…" Akane began, which caught the pig-tailed man and Shampoo's attention. "So you're… my wooden prince?"

"Look, I have no idea who you are and what you're talking about, but my name is Ranma Saotome." The pig-tailed young man said as he tries to push Shampoo away from him.

"Ranma? So you know your own name?" Akane asked. "I thought nutcrackers don't really have a name."

"Why do you guys keep saying I'm some stupid nutcracker?! I have no idea what you guys are talking about!" Ranma said in irritation. "Look, the only thing I remember is my own name and being against this old hag and she cursed me with something!"

"Old hag…" Shampoo repeated as she still kept clinging onto Ranma. "You mean Great Grandmother."

"Wait… so the old hag that cursed me is your Great Grandmother? Is that what you're telling me?"

Shampoo nodded. "Great Grandmother hated you guts so Grandmother place curse on you."

"What curse did she place on me? Do you know?!"

"Nutcracker curse." Shampoo responded.

"So… I really was a nutcracker then. But what the hell did I do?! I don't even remember what I did!"

Shampoo shrugged and lovingly kept clinging onto his neck.

Akane could not help but feel jealous of the fact that Shampoo is hugging her wooden prince… well, not so wooden anymore. But then again, he's not so much of a prince either.

'_He's such a jerk…' _Akane thought to herself in disappointment. '_He's nothing like a prince at all… but why am I so jealous?'_

"So wait," Ranma began as he disrupted Akane's train of thought. "Why were you trying to kill me?"

"Great Grandmother wanted nutcracker back so Shampoo hunt you down after stupid man stole you from her."

"What man?" Ranma asked in utter confusion. "Man, I don't remember any of this… why can't I remember?"

Shampoo gleefully shrugged and continued to snuggle up to the puzzled Ranma.

Akane then felt the sudden urge to stop Shampoo from snuggling with her nutcracker. "Um, I do not think you should be doing that with his injuries like this."

Shampoo stopped what she was doing and glared at Akane that spelled out death.

"Stupid girl go away," Shampoo said. "Ranma and Shampoo love each other."

With that said, Shampoo grabbed onto Ranma's injured arm which made Ranma wince in pain.

"H-Hey watch it!" Akane said as she ran towards Ranma and kneeled beside his broken arm. "Ranma's injured. We need to take off this net over him, so we can treat his wounds."

Without hesitation, Shampoo stood back up and immediately took off the net that captured Ranma.

"Now Shampoo, do you have a cloth we can wrap his wounds around?" Akane asked.

Shampoo ignored her and kept staring at his wounds. After a bit of studying his wounds, she took out two orbs from her pocket.

"Shampoo, how are two little balls gonna work? We need something―"

Shampoo lifted her hand in front of Akane's face to silence her.

Akane sighed and let Shampoo do her own thing. She had no choice but to trust her, since she herself does not know what to do with Ranma's massive wounds without a first aid kit in hand. She watched steadily as Shampoo picked up the two spheres and whispered something to them, almost like a chant. The orbs started glowing bright. Akane was in complete awe at what she just witnessed. It was just like magic; the very thing she never thought existed in this world. Once the orbs were bright enough, she took them and placed them on Ranma's back then on his arm. In just a matter of seconds, the long cuts on his back healed up.

"W-Whoa. I'm cured!" Ranma exclaimed as he gently started moving his arm. "Thanks, Shampoo, I owe you one!"

Shampoo released a gentle warm smile upon her face. "Shampoo glad Ranma okay." Without warning, she glomped him.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?!" Ranma yelped in surprise.

Akane felt a wave of jealousy hit her once again. She wanted to be just as useful to Ranma as Shampoo was. Akane realized what she was thinking and shook her head.

'_Snap out of it,' _Akane thought to herself. '_You barely know this jerk and you're already feeling jealous over him. Don't be stupid!'_

Akane lightly slapped herself in the face and went back to reality. She realized that she needed to find a way out of… where she was, which is yet to be determined.

Akane looked over and Shampoo was still all over Ranma. To catch their attention, she cleared her throat as loud as she could. Her signal to capture their attention worked because they both looked up at her.

"Look, I don't mean to break your little honeymoon here, but can either one of you tell me where I am so I can get back home."

"Yeah Shampoo," Ranma said as he finally managed to get Shampoo off him and stand up. "Where are we?"

Shampoo stood up as well. "No, Shampoo no know. We small."

Akane looked at her questionably. "We're… small?"

Shampoo's English is not the best, so perhaps she meant something else?

Shampoo nodded and pointed above them. Akane looked up to see the moonlight beam that was abnormally bigger than ever. Looking at the moonlight beam reminded her of what happened before she passed out.

"That's right… you threw this, like, powdery substance at me… and then you passed out―"

"That right, stupid girl," Shampoo said getting all worked up after Akane reminded her of what went down. "You stupid nose sneeze powder on Shampoo!"

"Look who's talking," Akane said getting just as worked up as Shampoo. "You're the one throwing stuff at people when you're not supposed to! And besides, what's the big deal if I did sneeze some of the powder onto you?!"

"Because of you stupid nose, Shampoo small too!"

"What do you mean small?! We're not small! I don't know what you're talking… about."

As Akane was arguing with Shampoo, she observed her surroundings and found that the furniture left in her abandoned shed looked enormous.

"S-So, you're saying that powder you threw at me was―"

"Spell make you small!"

Akane felt the wave of anger hit her once more. "Well?! Change us back to our normal size then!"

Shampoo scoffed. "I no can do that."

"What do you mean you can't?!

"I no know how!"

"What do you mean you don't know how?! You're telling me that you were gonna shrink me without turning me back?!"

"That right stupid girl! Shampoo hate you!"

"Well I hate you too!"

"Shampoo hate you more!"

"I hate you the mo―"

All of a sudden, Akane felt a firm hand over her mouth and a soft "shh" into her ear.

Akane looked up to see it was Ranma placing both of his hands over Akane's and Shampoo's mouth. Ranma stared intently at the darkness ahead him, as if there was something behind it.

Akane could hear nothing at first, then suddenly, the sound of slow, steady footsteps started echoing throughout the shed. Each second, the sound got louder and louder. Normally, the sound of footsteps would not frighten her, but these did. It sounded so intimidating to her for some reason. She felt a sudden chill run down her spine. Just by the footsteps alone, she could tell this person was not content with something.

Akane felt cold sweat ran down her forehead as the sounds got super close. Her heart was pounding a million times a minute. Whatever she was feeling now is telling her that she needs to get out of there as soon as she can.

What felt like an eternity, the footsteps finally reached its destination. The person that was walking towards the trio finally makes an appearance under the moonlight. It was a man with a cape. He had raven hair, as dark as Ranma's. He was tall and slim, yet muscular. A smile spread across his face. It was not a kind smile… there was something twisted behind that grin.

"Ranma, Ranma, Ranma…" The man finally said after smiling at the trio for a while. "My, it's been a while."

"Who the hell are you?" Ranma asked, his hands still over Akane's and Shampoo's mouths.

"Don't tell me you forgot about me… your one and only friend."

It took a second for Ranma to remember, but once he did, the only word that escaped his lips were "Taro."

* * *

**(A/N: Thanks for your patience, readers. I've been super busy with life, but I'm back on! I promise there are more to come very soon! : ) )**


	4. Taro

"_Taro" was the only thing that escaped through Ranma's lips as he remembered who the man was before him._

Taro chuckled slightly to himself. "So… you do remember me."

"Y-Yeah… it's been a while." Ranma answered hesitantly.

Akane moved her gaze up at Ranma. He appeared to be very nervous for some reason. She also noticed his grip tightened up a bit.

'_Why does Ranma look so nervous around his so called best friend,'_ Akane thought to herself suspiciously. '_Shouldn't they be happy to see each other after such a long time?'_

Then there was absolute silence. Not a single word escaped from Ranma's or Taro's lips. It was just a complete staredown between the two of them. The atmosphere became uncomfortable and tense.

What seemed like long minutes, Taro finally breaks the staredown by moving his gaze towards Shampoo and Akane. He let out yet another chuckle then proceeded to say, "My, I see you've brought some company to... witness our fight."

Ranma let out a sigh. "Look, man," Ranma began. "I do not want to fight you. I never did and I don't want to now. Let's leave all this in the past, alright?"

"Now, now, if you were really my best friend," Taro said unleashing his sinister grin. "You would remember that I do not let things go… must I remind you of what you did?"

Ranma was unresponsive. Ranma's silence triggered Taro's calm attitude to turn 180. Akane felt like she just witnessed a Jekyll and Hyde moment. One second he was calm and now he's just flat out pissed off.

"Ranma, you better answer me or I'll kill you and your friends!"

Ranma then snarled under his breath and pushed both Shampoo and Akane behind him. "Look pal, these two ain't my friends, so you'll just have to kill only me!"

"Fine with me, Saotome!" With that said, Taro then started running towards Ranma with a sword.

As Taro swings his sword towards Ranma's torso, Ranma jumped high in the air, completely dodging his attack. While he was still in the air, he performed a perfect 540 kick and kicked Taro's hand, which knocked his sword out of his grip and onto the ground.

Akane watched in awe as Ranma performed one of the best martial arts moves she's ever seen.

Ranma manages to land on his feet and turns towards Akane and Shampoo. "What are you two still doing here?! Make a run for it!"

"But what about you?!" Akane said in full concern. "What if you get hurt again?"

"Just run for it! Don't worry about me!"

Without notice, Taro then sliced his sword across Ranma's arm. Ranma screamed out in pain and jumped backwards.

"Ranma!" Akane called after.

"Hmph, stupid girl, look what you done." Shampoo scoffed. "Shampoo protect Ranma!"

Shampoo then brought out her daggers and ran towards Taro. Soon, the two began sword fighting.

"Hey, you better leave her out of this!" Ranma yelled as he ran back, joining the fight against Shampoo and Taro.

Akane stood on the sidelines, watching the three of them fighting to the death. Akane stood there, paralyzed and unsure what to do.

'_Ranma did tell me to run away… but is it right to just leave them? Then again… they are equally as good... so what do they need me for?' _Akane thought to herself, feeling completely hopeless and useless. '_I'm no good as they are… so I wouldn't be much help.'_

Akane felt a tear roll down her cheek and hit the ground. She didn't like feeling useless. She wants to help, but she doesn't have the courage to… or the skill.

"_**Akane."**_

Akane looked up as soon as she heard someone call her name. No one was around. Then she heard someone's voice call out her name again.

"_**Akane."**_

"W-Who's there?!" Akane asked frantically. "What do you want?!"

"_**Akane… I know you can do it."**_

That voice sounded so familiar to Akane. She's definitely heard it before. It somehow brings comfort to her. But who could that voice be?

"_**You're strong, Akane. I know you can do it."**_

Not only did it bring comfort, but it gave her the courage; the courage to help out her new friends. She waited for the right moment to strike. While Ranma and Shampoo were fighting against him, she waited till Taro's back was turned so she can attack.

'_Okay Akane… you can do this,' _Akane thought to herself, fully trying to concentrate. '_Think of this like it's one of your training sessions.'_

Finally, that moment came when Taro finally turned his back.

'_Go.'_ Akane thought to herself as her queue.

She then ran towards Taro's back as fast as she could. Once she got close enough, she sat on her hip and quickly moved her foot in a 360 degree angle, performing the Tiger Tail Sweep method. Taro loses his balance and falls on his lower back, once again losing his grip on the sword he was holding. Akane got up from the ground and quickly grabbed the sword from the ground.

"Guys let's go!" Akane said as she made a dash for it.

Ranma and Shampoo followed suit and followed after Akane. Together they followed Akane to an old doll house she used to play with as a child. They all followed her to a pink bedroom with nothing but the doll's bed and armoire.

They all stopped for a second to catch their breath.

"I… I think we lost him." Akane said panting.

"For now…" Ranma said also panting. "You know, you two should've stayed out of it. It ain't one of ya's concerns."

"I think a thank you would suffice." Akane said, becoming irritated with his attitude, especially after she saved him and Shampoo.

Ranma looked up at Akane and noticed that Taro's sword was in Akane's hand.

"Stupid! You took Taro's sword?!"

"Oh yeah… looks like I did."

"_Oh yeah looks like I did,_" Ranma repeated mockingly. "He can use that to track us you know!"

"Well excuse me, jerk," Akane said in full rage. "How the hell was I supposed to know that?!"

"Hmph, stupid girl," Shampoo said, getting close to Ranma's side. "Ranma right."

"So what's the big deal if he tracks us?! I'm sure it'll take him a while to get he―"

All of a sudden, a loud bang could be heard outside of the dollhouse. Because of the loud bang, the whole dollhouse shook violently.

"Shit, Taro is nearby!" Ranma exclaimed then ran towards the hollow wooden dollhouse door and shut it quickly.

"Oh yeah, like shutting the door is gonna help us!" Akane said rolling her eyes.

"Well idiot, have anymore bright ideas?!"

Akane searched her surroundings and looked at the bed on the other side of the room.

"Quick, help me move this in front of the door!" Akane said as she ran towards the bed.

Ranma had no other choice but to go with what Akane suggested. "Come on, Shampoo."

He and Shampoo ran to where the bed was and helped Akane move it in front of the door as a barrier.

"So what is this supposed to do?" Ranma asked rolling his eyes. "How is this gonna help us escape?"

"This is a barrier to buy us some time! I'm still thinking of a plan." Akane said, as she continued to observe her surroundings. As each second passes by, the loud bangs are getting closer and closer.

Ranma rolled his eyes once more and sighed in frustration. "Yo Shampoo, got any bright ideas to save us from dumbass's stupid mistake?"

"Excuse me?! Without me, you wouldn't even be here right now!" Akane yelled as she glared at Ranma.

"Maybe I would've been, you never know! I didn't need your help!"

"Why you ungrateful―"

"Ranma! Stupid!" Shampoo called out to the bickering duo. She stood in front of the dollhouse's armoire and opened it up.

"Look Shampoo, as much as I love your idea of hiding in that tiny space in there, it ain't gonna work." Ranma said, once again rolling his eyes.

Shampoo shook her head and took the blanket from the dollhouse's bed and put it over the armoire.

"Shampoo, this is not a game! A blanket won't make it unnoticeable to Taro!" Akane said, crossing her arms and huffing.

Shampoo shook her head. "No stupid. Portal."

"A portal?" Ranma and Akane asked in complete confusion.

The thuds got closer and closer to the dollhouse then all of a sudden, a huge bang was heard downstairs as Taro made his entrance by barging down the dollhouse's front door.

"W-Whatever Shampoo, just work your magic! Taro is downstairs!" Ranma yelled as he stared at the door making sure Taro doesn't get in here.

The thuds got louder and louder and sounded like it was going up the dollhouse's staircase. Shampoo got to work right away and covered the blanket over the armoire and placed her both of her hands on it. She chanted a few words over and over until the armoire started glowing up. All of a sudden, hard knocks started banging on the dollhouse's room door.

"Come back here, you bitch!" Taro said on the other side of the door. "Give back my sword!"

"U-Uh Shampoo, wanna hurry it up there?!" Ranma said as he kept watching the door.

Shampoo said her chant once more then uncovered the armoire. As soon as she uncovered it, Taro's hand knocks through the door. Akane screamed as she slapped his hand.

"Idiot! You're gonna piss him off even more!" Ranma yelled as he took Akane's hand and quickly dragged her close to the armoire.

Shampoo opened the doors to the armoire and instead of revealing a rack full of doll clothing, it revealed a combination of pastel colors all squished together. It looked like a crazy paint project on a single canvas. The colors were moving back and forth, as if it was water in the ocean.

"Let's go Ranma!" Shampoo said as she grabbed Ranma's hand and jumped into the portal with him following after.

"H-Hey wait for me!" Akane yelled as she grabbed the sword. She was about to enter inside of it until something caught her ankle. It was Taro who grabbed onto it.

"Give back my sword you bitch!"

Akane screamed and tried to kick him away, but he had too much of a strong grip. Ranma heard Akane's scream and went back to grab her wrist and tried to pull her as hard as he can. Soon enough, it was like a tug-of-war between the two men as they fight over Akane.

"Stupid! Let go of the sword!" Ranma yelled from the other side.

"F-Fine! You want the sword, you can have it!" With that said, Akane used the sword to cut Taro's wrist. Taro yelled out in pain as his wrist starts bleeding out. As soon as he let go of Akane's ankle, she let go of the sword, then quickly closed the armoire's doors making sure Taro doesn't enter in with them.

Taro gets up from his spot, holding his bleeding wrist and opens one of the doors to the armoire. Pitch black. They managed to escape him. He let out a frustrated yell at the top of his lungs. Then looked down at the very sword he was cut with and looked at his reflection the blood red jewel embedded onto the sword.

"I'll get you for this… Ranma."

* * *

Ranma and Akane landed on a soft patch of grass as soon as they got out of a square-shaped portal. The portal closes up behind them, which means that Taro didn't get in with them.

Ranma and Akane laid on the grass for a while, panting. Akane slowly turned her head towards Ranma.

"Ranma?" Akane said, trying to get Ranma's attention. "I… I just wanted to say thank you for… saving me back there."

"Y-Yeah… you're welcome." Ranma said, looking back at Akane.

Akane gave a warm smile towards Ranma, which immediately made him sit straight up.

"T-This doesn't dismiss the fact that you almost killed us!" Ranma said, crossing his arms and turning away from Akane.

Akane sat straight up and glared at Ranma. "Killed you?! I saved you! Why can't you just thank me for it and move on already?!"

"Thank you?! Oh right, I'm _so _sorry, thank you _so_ much for almost getting us killed!" Ranma said, yelling at the top of his lungs. "There, is that better, ya idiot?! Huh?!"

All of a sudden, Ranma felt a strong force move his face to the side and felt a sharp sting on his cheek. His eyes widened in shock when he realized he was slapped by a woman, for the first time in his life. He gently placed his hand on his cheek and looked back at Akane, who had tears in her eyes and run down her cheeks.

"Look, I know I'm not the most strategic person out of the both of us… or I'm not as skilled in the martial arts as you and Shampoo are," Akane said, sniffling through her tears. "But… you don't have the right to call someone an idiot for trying their best to save you! You're nothing like the prince I'd imagine you to be… and that… disappoints me."

"I… I…" Ranma stuttered, as he couldn't find the words.

Then Shampoo's gasp could be heard from behind them.

"Ranma!" Shampoo called out as she ran towards him and hugged him. "Stupid girl, get away from Ranma!"

Akane stood up from her spot then said, "You don't need to tell me twice." Then walked away leaving the two of them alone.

Shampoo scoffed towards Akane's direction. "Good, we no need her, right Ranma?" Shampoo said as she snuggled up against him.

Ranma watched as Akane walk away from them. He then felt a wave of guilt come over him as he watched her walk away.

'_Well she did try to save me… eh, she'll get over it hopefully.'_ Ranma thought as he tried to push Shampoo off of him.

* * *

**(A/N: That's it for this chapter, my readers! I hope you liked it and please remember to R&R, I love reading them! Gives me much motivation to write more! :^) New chapters coming up very soon!)**


	5. Her Haunting Past

**Cricket, cricket, cricket.**

Night time rolls around. The night wind is howling and the bugs are making noises to their content. Ranma and Shampoo are both making a fire to warm themselves up while Akane is sitting by a nearby pond not too far away from them, but not too close either. Akane looked back at the fire and admired its warm appearance from afar then turned back to the calm, flat water in the pond before her.

Akane has not said a single word to either of her acquaintances she met on this weird journey, especially Ranma. A gust of wind hit Akane's body and she could not help but shiver to the bone. She could go back to the fire with Ranma and Shampoo, but she knew it would be awkward between her and Ranma. Plus, she doubts they would care if she froze to death or not. As long as she was not in their way.

'_Stupid Ranma…' _Akane thought to herself as she rubbed both of her arms for friction so she can somehow warm herself up. '_Why did he save me back there if he was going to treat me like a nuisance.'_

She sighed in frustration. She picked up the nearest object by her foot and threw it into the calm lake. She watched the pond create ripples as the pebble hit the water. She picks up another object near her foot: a stick. She breaks it in half and accidentally cuts herself with the sharp end of it. She winces in pain and holds onto her palm as it slightly bleeds out.

'_Great… now I'm cold and have a cut.' _Akane thought as she kept holding onto her wounded palm.

She sighed once more and watch the pond's ripples slowly disappear. She couldn't help but think about her mother and how much she misses her warm hugs. Her smile alone can warm up the whole room. Warmth. That is what she needed right now. Then Akane thought about her beloved sister Kasumi and how her smile matches her mother's. They looked so much alike, it was crazy. She is just as kind and lovely as her mother once was.

'_Kasumi…' _Akane thought with a smile on her face. Her smile faded shortly after she realized something. '_I ruined her Christmas…'_

The tears immediately started running down her face.

'_Why do I always ruin everything?' _More and more tears began to come tumbling down. '_God, why am I such an idiot?'_

Akane buried her face into her knees that was up against her chest and sobbed silently.

"Yo."

Akane gasped and quickly looked up. She could not make out who it was at first because her vision was blurry,so she quickly wiped it away to find Ranma standing in front of her. Akane quickly looked away to prevent him from seeing her tears and possibly make fun of her for it.

"H-Hey were you… crying just now?" Ranma asked with his voice full of concern.

"N-No! D-Don't be ridiculous! Why would I be crying for?!" Akane snapped, still looking away.

Ranma sighed heavily and slowly sat down next to her. There was a moment of silence between the two of them until Ranma started, "Look, about earlier… I'm not mad about earlier, okay? I, uh, probably deserved it because I can have a big mouth sometimes and I, uh, am sorry. Now will ya please stop crying?"

"I-I'm not crying—"

"Yes you are! I can hear your loud snifflin' from here!"

"No! I was going to say that I wasn't crying because of that!"

Ranma sighed once again and made himself comfortable because he figured he was gonna be sitting here for a while. "So, uh, then… why are you crying then?"

"Just… other things on my mind." Akane answered as she stared down at her feet.

"Will it make ya feel better if ya talked about it?"

Akane shook her head. "I wouldn't expect you to care…"

"Hey look, I may not be the nicest dude in the whole world and I may not be your so-called 'wooden prince' or whatever," Ranma said, as he slightly scratched his head. "But one thing's for sure, I hate seeing a girl cry so… just talk about it. Talking about it helps… or so I heard."

Akane looked up from her feet and at Ranma. '_Well… he did make an effort to talk to me first. So I guess he sort of cares? But then again… he just said that he doesn't like seeing girls cry, so...'_

"So, are ya gonna tell me or not?!" Ranma said, getting weirded out by Akane zoning out and staring blankly at him.

Akane quickly snapped out of it. "O-Oh right, sorry! Um… anyways… I feel like… I might've ruin someone's Christmas because I let the anger from the past get to me… and now I feel like they might just hate me forever."

"Whose Christmas did you ruin?"

To Akane's surprised, Ranma was listening. It isn't the usual "mmhm" and "yeah" kind of responses. For a moment she felt like he actually does care, but he's hiding it behind his "tough guy" facade that he has going on.

She continues on. "My sister's… I, uh, sort of yelled at her about something and she got upset about it."

"It's normal for people to get mad, but why would you ever think your sister would hate you? That's a stup—I-I mean, ridiculous… of you to think like that."

Akane smiled slightly and giggled. She appreciated the fact that Ranma tried so hard not to use the word "stupid" right after he called her that. "It's okay if you use the word stupid… it's your favorite word, isn't it?"

"Hey what is that supposed to mean?!" Ranma asked in aggregation.

"Ooooh, nothing." Akane cooed teasingly.

Ranma scratched the back of head and continued on with the conversation. "Anyway... what were you yelling at her about."

Akane took a deep, heavy sigh before answering that, "I told her that she didn't care about my mother at all… just because she wanted to celebrate something the day of her death."

"Wait… so you're telling me that your mother died the day of Christmas?"

Akane nodded slowly and went back to hugging her knees. "I hate Christmas because of it… and myself."

Ranma was taken aback when Akane said the last part. He was surprised, but also curious as to why. "And why would you hate yourself because of your mother's death?"

"I… was the reason why she died."

Ranma's eyes widen a bit by her bold statement.

Akane could feel her tears start to form in her eyes, but she took another deep breath to calm herself then continued on to tell her story. "It was Christmas eve… when I lost my mother."

* * *

_**Flashback...**_

"_Papa! I want ice cream!" 6-year-old Akane said as she tugged on her father's pants, trying to get his attention._

"_Now, now sugar-plum," Mr. Tendo said as he lifted up his daughter. "I think you've had enough candy for today, you can have plenty more tomorrow morning after Santa comes, right?"_

_Young Akane began to tear up and started kicking midair. "I want ice cream! I want ice cream!"_

"_If it's alright with you darling," A sweet voice said the other side of the room. "I can take Akane to get some ice cream."_

_Young Akane looked back and say her sweet mother standing at the entryway of the room. Akane's smile gleamed brightly as soon as she saw her mother._

"_Mommy!" Akane shrieked as she was put down to the floor by her father. Once her little feet touched the ground, she made a run towards her mother and hugged her leg._

"_Are you sure, honey? It's kinda late and I don't want you catch a cold." Mr. Tendo said, his face full of concern._

"_I will be fine, Soun-darling. We will be fine." Mrs. Tendo said as she lifts up little Akane into her arms._

"_W-Well… alright. But be sure you two wear a thick jacket before you go!"_

"_We will, darling. Don't worry about us!" With that said, Mrs. Tendo took Akane's small hand and walked out into the freezing, winter weather._

_The ice cream parlor that was a couple of blocks down from their home was opened during Christmas eve. It was not a very long walk, so they managed to make it there in twenty minutes tops. As soon as they walked in, the ice cream man greeted the two with a warm smile and wished them a Merry Christmas. Mrs. Tendo did the same in return. She glanced down to find Akane on her tippy-toes and looking through the window of the case that holds ice cream. Akane was in awe by the various colors and flavors of each ice cream. There was vanilla, chocolate, sherbert, mint n'chips, rocky road, you name it. She scanned each ice cream flavor and laid her eyes on one appealing looking one: cookies and cream._

_Akane's eyes gleamed and she started licking her lips. Mrs. Tendo giggled at Akane's practically drooling mouth. That was her queue to get the ice cream._

"_One cookie and cream ice cream," Mrs. Tendo asked politely. "Actually, make that two."_

"_Coming right up, madame!"_

_Akane watched as the ice cream man scooped up a big spoonful of the ice cream and put each scoop in each cup. Akane jumps up and down in excitement._

"_That will be 350 yen please."_

_Akane's mother pays the man and leaves him an extra tip for his good service. Akane and Mrs. Tendo both sit down at a booth by a window, watching the beautiful scenery before them. The snow was falling gracefully and the snow was whiter than ever. Akane admired every bit of it as she ate her ice cream. She and her mother talked and talked. Laughed and laughed. It was the best time she's ever spent with her mother. Time flew by so fast without them realizing. It was close to 9 o'clock and the ice cream shop was closing._

_Mrs. Tendo wiped the ice cream off her daugher's face and walked out of the shop with Akane's hand in hers. It was pitch black outside and their only source of light was the streetlamps to guide them back home. On the walk back home, Akane and her mother were too busy talking to notice someone's been following them for two blocks now. Akane finally realizes that when she hears a loud gasp coming from her mother's own mouth. She looks up and stares in terror as this man forcefully grabbed her mother's arm. Her mother, however, remained calm. Perhaps to not freak out her daughter more than she really is._

"_Give me your money lady and no one gets hurt." The man said in a hostile voice._

_Mrs. Tendo cautiously slides her hand into her purse to look for cash she could give to the desperate man. She felt nothing. She gave all of her remaining money towards the ice cream shop._

"_I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid I do not have what you're looking for" Mrs. Tendo calmly began. "Now… please let me go."_

_Her gentle, yet stern command pissed the man off. He threw her on the ground roughly._

_Akane gasps in terror and yells out, "Mommy!"_

"_Shut it, you little brat!" The man yells as his gun is still pointed towards Mrs. Tendo. "You're next if you don't shut the hell up!"_

_Akane felt her knees shake. She was too afraid to move. She knew she had to run and call someone, but she didn't want to leave her mother behind. She started whimpering and crying._

"_I warned you, you stupid brat!" _

_The man then hits Akane's head with the hilt of his gun hard enough to make her pass out. Her vision turns to pitch black. The last thing she heard before her head hit the white snow was her mother calling out her name in terror then a loud gunshot._

* * *

_**Present time…**_

"... the next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital bed… and find out that my mother passed away… in the same hospital. 12:48 A.M… on the morning of Christmas day."

Ranma examined her face. He could see through those chocolate-brown eyes and the tears flowing through them that she is in pain. Seeing her like this stings him as well, even though he's just met her. He feels like he should say something in response, but he decided to remain quiet and have her continue on.

Akane swallowed a bit on her words then continued. "I never saw Christmas the same way ever again. I hate Christmas… I dread for it all year long. But most of all, I hate myself. There could have been a million things I could've done to save her… but I was too chicken. Because of that, I started learning martial arts, so I can kick whoever's butt I need to kick, so no one can hurt my loved ones ever again."

"I mean, it's great that you decided to learn some martial arts, but… you were just a kid. There's nothing you could've done." Ranma said, in the most polite way possible.

"I'm not talking about kicking his butt. I'm talking about taking my mom out in the first place. If it weren't for my stupid spoiled ass, my mom still would've been alive! This is all my fault!" Akane then let her hot tears fall rapidly out of her eyes as she bawled.

Ranma looked at her, with a concerned look on his face. He feels like he understands her better now. He understood why she did what she could to rescue both him and Shampoo there. Because she didn't want to see people around her hurt anymore.

Without warning, Akane let out a loud scream, something she's been holding back for such a long while now. She forms her hands into fists and slammed it on the ground, totally forgetting that she has a cut on one of her hands. She yelps out in pain and holds her hand.

"H-Hey, you didn't break your fist didya?!" Ranma said as he quickly grabbed her hand to examine it.

Akane lightly blushed as she felt Ranma's firm grasp holding her hand. This is probably the first time she's ever felt a man touch her hand like this. Ranma looked at her hand closely and realized she has a cut.

"Whoa! You slammed the ground so hard that your palm cut open, nice!" Ranma said in utter astonishment.

Akane then started giggling then her small giggles turned into full on laughter.

"W-What's so funny?!"

Akane was in tears. Not from crying anymore, but from pure laughter and happiness. "No, I just… I cut myself with a tiny stick earlier by accident… stupid."

"H-Hey! Who you callin' stupid, stupid?!" Ranma said in agitation.

Akane let out a laugh once more, which for some reason made Ranma's made annoyance disappear and smile reappear.

"Now there's that smile I've been lookin' for." Ranma said in relief then ripped a piece off his Chinese style clothing and wrapped it around Akane's palm. "There. Now don't take that off until we can find some medicine."

Akane smiled softly then nodded. A blush spread across Ranma's cheeks as he gently rubs the back of neck.

"You know… I'm sure your mother would've been proud to see the woman you are today. So strong and brave." Ranma said as kept rubbing the back of neck, now blushing.

Akane could tell that he's not really used to giving people compliments. She smiled gently then said, "Thank you… Ranma."

There was a bit of silence between the two of them until Ranma finally broke the ice.

"Oh hey, uh," Ranma began. "I never… really got your name. How about you give me your name so I can get out of the habit of calling you stupid."

"Akane… Akane Tendo."

"Akane… I'll remember that."

With that said, he stands back up and holds out his hand for Akane. Once Akane's hand touches Ranma, he helps get back up. She gently brushes off the dirt on her pajamas.

"Alright then, let's head to the fire so you don't catch a cold. How's about it?"

Akane smiled gently. "Alright, let's go."

Then they started making their way towards the glow from the fire, walking in complete and comfortable silence. During the walk back to the fire, she slightly glances at Ranma. She could not help but smile.

'_He may not be the stereotypical prince I've been yearning for… but he does have a caring heart. I know that now.' _Akane thought to herself. '_He was right… I do feel a lot better after talking about it.'_

"**Akane…"**

Akane immediately stopped in her tracks as soon as she heard someone's voice call out her name. She looked around frantically. It all sounds too familiar. But where was that voice coming from?

Ranma noticed that Akane was not walking beside him anymore and stopped in his tracks too. He looked behind him to see Akane looking around frantically.

"Hey Akane… you okay?"

"Uh… y-yeah. I, uh, I thought I heard something. It was nothing." Akane said, giving the area a last look then made her way towards a waiting Ranma.

As soon as she caught up with Ranma, they continued down the path.

'_Who… who was that?'_

* * *

**(A/N: Alright my readers, that is it for this chapter! I hope you guys like it! Please R&R I looooove reading your comments! It encourages me to write more and more! :) )**


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